There have been several fireworks factory explosions
Mining accidents killed 5,395 people last year, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
That is a drop of 403 deaths from 2000, but means mining is still the most deadly industry in China.
This week alone more than 50 people have been killed in three separate mining accidents.
China's safety record was highlighted last November when 72 miners died in a spate of gas explosions in Shanxi province. It prompted a temporary halt to all mining work in the northern region.
The head of the State Administration of Work Safety, Zhang Baoming, who led the safety report, told the China Daily newspaper that the country still faced "an uphill battle".
Lethal workplaces
Many disasters take place in illegally-run mines, despite government orders to shut down tens of thousands of them.
The accuracy of the official safety figures is difficult to verify, but independent analysts say the real death toll from mining is about 10,000 a year.
Firework factories are another high-risk workplace.
No official death toll figures have been reported, but a string of explosions are known to have killed at least 100 people last year, including children.
Last week the eastern province of Jiangxi ordered its fireworks factories closed following a series of fatal accidents.
The government is expected to pass a law on firework production safety in June, Xinhua said.
And Mr Zhang said China would also aim this year to tighten the regulations for dangerous chemicals and coal mines.
According to Mr Zhang's report, 116,858 people died in accidents in the first 11 months of last year - but 81.5% of those were traffic accidents.
Mr Zhang said that was a 26.5% increase on 2000.
The United States, with less than a quarter of China's population, had 41,821 traffic deaths in 2000, according to the US Department of Transportation.